We are all animal lovers, but dogs in particular are our passion. Back in 2017 our gorgeous border collie Jake required TPLO surgery after being diagnosed with cruciate ligament disease. This is considered a routine straight forward procedure however Jakes situation was different in that he had advanced cruciate ligament disease in both hind legs which both required urgent attention.
Our local veterinary surgeon referred us to Fitzpatrick Referrals in Surrey to see the Super Vet. A consultation was arranged and we ventured to Surrey to meet with one of the head surgeons Miguel. The decision was taken to perform TPLO surgery on each hind leg separately as it would be too much for Jake to cope with rehabilitation wise. One of the key rehabilitation treatments recommended was hydrotherapy. This would speed up the recovery process of the first operation allowing Miguel to carry out the second TPLO procedure within a short period of time.
Jake received his biweekly hydrotherapy sessions and we were so impressed with how Jake engaged in the hydrotherapy sessions; his face was telling me exactly how much he was enjoying being in the water which was refreshing to see after what he had been through. He has always loved the water and he recovered from the first operation quickly. The second operation followed shortly after and we continued to take Jake for his hydrotherapy sessions. He made excellent progress and made a full and successful recovery. He is now nearly 14 years old and has a very good quality of life.
The amount of time researching canine hydrotherapy turned into a family project and we ended up training as hydrotherapists. We were fortunate to train with one of the pioneers of canine hydrotherapy in the UK and decided to turn the project into a business to provide hydrotherapy treatment services to our home town of Bourne and the surrounding areas.
Then the pandemic struck and the project almost came to a halt, finding a builder, increased costs of building materials and their availability, scaling back the size of the facility and changes to planning permission, time was passing quickly by with little to no progress. it felt like the odds were greatly stacked against us and every obstacle was put in our way.
Three years later and we are so proud to be finally able to offer our services and help as many dogs as we can feel the benefits and results of hydrotherapy.